Art by Fuzzy

Pottery, Photography, Design - Brandon "Fuzzy" Schwartz

Huntington University Alumni Art Exhibit

The Robert E. Wilson Gallery at Huntington University is showing work from graduates of the art program.  I submitted two ceramic pieces and a photograph for the show which will run from September 10th to October 7th.  There will also be an artist reception during Homecoming weekend on October 2nd from 1:3o to 3:00pm.

A few months ago I was contacted to see if I had any interest in an alumni show.  I thought it was a great idea, and so did some other alumni, so I went to work on selecting pieces, dusting off my resume, putting together an artist statement and getting some digital images ready.  The decision process was somewhat difficult because I had sold or given away many of my recent ceramic ware, especially my “favorites.”  But luckily I had most of the stuff from my latest glaze fire and even a few older pieces that I still like.  And I had just taken some close-up nature photos which I thought might look good on a gallery wall.  So I got everything packed up and shipped and I received word Friday that the package arrived safely.

So if you are in the Huntington area, go check out some art work by Huntington University alums.

Summer Pottery – Mugs, Vases, Bowls

I glaze fired a number of items way back in July.  Then I got busy doing other projects like making a backdrop for photographing ceramics, redesigning a website, and getting settled into a new school.  Finally, you can see the finished pieces from that summer glaze fire below.  I haven’t really been in the clay studio much since then but I’ve got some ideas rolling around in my head for the next time I get some time at the wheel.

All items are glaze fired to cone 6 and are either Warm Brown Stoneware from Amaco or Speckled Stoneware by Laguna.

Pottery Photo Backdrop

I just shot a few ceramics pieces on my new and improved backdrop which is part of the Collapsible Photo Booth for Shooting Ceramics.  I had been using some gray fabric from the $1 bin at Walmart but I wanted something a little darker and a little more sturdy.  I searched the internet but couldn’t find anything within my budget (as in “free” or “almost free”) so I decided to make my own.  I had a big roll of pre-primed canvas at my disposal so I cut a piece to fit into the Collapsible Photo Booth for Shooting Ceramics and added a couple extra layers of gesso and then painted it gray.  I had a feeling that the gray had a slightly blue cast and my suspicion was confirmed in the test photos.  So I re-mixed the paint and added a little red and a lot of yellow to even out the blue cast.  It’s not quite completely neutral gray now but it is a lot closer than the first attempt.  Below you can see some photos of the whole setup.  And soon there will be some photos of some actual pottery taken while using the whole setup!

Site Redesign Preview

For the past couple days I’ve been working on a new design for the site. So far I’ve got the blog about 80% the way I want it. Here’s a quick preview:

site redesign - gray

New gray theme

Check again in a week or so and you should see some more progress.

In related news, the whole month of July has slipped by without so much as a peep from the blog… Don’t worry, I’ve been stockpiling news stories.  Hopefully they will be released before I have to go back to school!

June Glaze Fire Results

Last month I glaze fired close to 20 pieces after mixing some glaze from dry powder.  The Pam’s Blue that I mixed turned out more blue-green instead of the blue-gray that I got from the pre-mixed pint.  It might be applied a little thin but I still like the result.  I got to test a few new glazes such as Espresso Bean and Saturated Iron by Coyote and Frosted Turquoise and Iron Lustre by Amaco.  Some of them turned out nicely.  Most of the items were functional ware: mugs, bowls, etc.

I finally got all the pieces photographed about a week ago and I finished cropping and sizing the photos last night.  Now, as I’m uploading these pictures the kiln is cranked up and bisque firing some of the stuff that I’ve thrown recently.   My wife wanted a set of bowls with handles, I’ve got a set of four mugs, there are some vases and other tall forms and  a few lidded vessels.